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A huge update has emerged over West Brom’s managerial position this week…

What’s the word?

According to Sky Sports, the Baggies have former Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder on their shortlist, should Sam Allardyce depart the Midlands side this summer.

The 66-year-old is set for crunch talks with the Albion hierarchy on Wednesday after their relegation back to the Championship was confirmed on Sunday evening.

His 18-month contract at the Hawthorns includes a break clause that either he or the club can activate following their drop to the second flight.

No talks have been held with Wilder but that is expected to change if Big Sam’s tenure comes to an end after he meets the West Brom board.

Dowling’s big decision

The Baggies made small improvements under Allardyce but unfortunately, it was either a case of it being too little, too late or the writing being on the wall well before he was appointed.

He oversaw some impressive results, including draws to Manchester United and Liverpool, as well as a 5-2 win over Champions League finalists Chelsea.

But now sporting and technical director Luke Dowling has a tricky decision to make as it’s been nearly a decade since the veteran managed in the Championship and at 66, you’d have to wonder if he has the appetite for a gruelling promotion challenge.

Even more so considering he had previously retired from management in December 2017.

There is also the credentials of Wilder to consider, someone who has guided a team to the Premier League far more recently than Allardyce.

The 53-year-old completely transformed Sheffield United, taking them from League One to the big time in less than four years, and then nearly led them into the Europa League in their very first season.

It could be argued that he was unfairly dismissed earlier this campaign, too, considering everything he had achieved at Bramall Lane.

Match of the Day pundit Martin Keown waxed lyrical about Wilder, comparing him to one of the best we’ve ever seen in the Premier League. “[He was] their Messiah, their Alex Ferguson when you think of what he’s done for that football club. He’s their leader.”

We’ll soon know what the future holds with Allardyce’s meeting due to be held this week, but Dowling must be awfully tempted to get rid in favour of Wilder given this fresh development.

AND in other news, Albion could find next Claudio Yacob in “unbelievable” 23 y/o beast…

Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Bruno Lage has dropped an update on the club’s plans for the January transfer window.

What’s been said?

In recent comments cited by the Express & Star, the 45-year-old revealed that he has already identified a number of potential targets for the upcoming winter market, as well as claiming that Jeff Shi is well aware of his demands in January.

When asked whether he has spoken to Shi regarding his transfer targets, Lage said: “Every day. When the transfer window closed we talked about it then and he knows what I want, but in the same way, I need to understand just not the sport, but also the financial things.

“But he knows what I want and it was good for me when he did that interview and he said ‘I’m happy because Bruno has a big ambition’. I’m here to try to do good things and continue the work they started four years ago.”

Fans will be buzzing

Considering the fact that there are a number of positions in the current Wolves squad that are lacking a considerable amount of depth, the news that Lage has already identified a selection of players he is hoping to bring to Molineux this winter is sure to have left fans of the club buzzing.

At present, the 45-year-old has just three fit central midfielders, in the form of Ruben Neves, Leander Dendoncker and Joao Moutinho – none of whom are exactly attack-minded players.

Indeed, between the trio’s 29 cumulative Premier League appearances so far this season, they have scored just one goal and registered one assist, something that has largely contributed to the fact Wolves have scored the joint fourth-lowest amount of goals in the league.

Meanwhile, Lage is also short of choice in the heart of his defence, with only Conor Coady, Willy Boly, Romain Saiss and Max Kilman currently being available for selection at centre-back.

And, with both Boly and Saiss likely to be unavailable for the vast majority of January as a result of their likely participation in the Africa Cup of Nations, centre-back is also an area in which it is essential that the club strengthen this winter.

As such, as long as these two areas of the pitch are where Lage has identified his January targets, Wolves’ impressive recent climb towards the top end of the Premier League table could well continue long after the turn of the year, something that everyone associated with the club would enjoy.

In other news: Shi must seal Wolves deal for “perfect” £34m-rated dynamo after Romano’s latest update

In the space of just two Premier League games, newly-appointed Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard seems to have already turned things around at Villa Park by winning his two opening league matches after the Villans’ poor run of form which saw Dean Smith get the sack.

With this in mind, it seems as though the former Rangers boss could be looking to make some changes to his squad during the upcoming January transfer window.

What’s the latest?

In a recent interview with Villa TV, the club’s CEO Christian Purslow said that he thinks it’s “perfectly possible in the coming weeks, when Steven and Johan [Lange] are working together, that Steven will want to make one or two adjustments and that might lead to one or two out and maybe one or two in.”

While it may still be slightly early in Gerrard’s reign at Villa Park and a bit early to be talking about January transfers, it should be exciting for Villa fans to hear that some deals could be done during the upcoming window as the 41-year-old looks to put his stamp on the squad.

Given how busy Villa were in the previous summer window in terms of bringing in new players after selling Jack Grealish to Manchester City in a £100m deal, including the likes of Emi Buendia, Danny Ings and Leon Bailey, it’s safe to say that the Midlands club are not shy in splashing the cash when they feel it is needed.

Now that Gerrard has come in and had a perfect start in terms of results in the league, it seems likely that he could be rewarded in January and allowed to make some signings of his own to help strengthen the squad even further.

With two wins under his belt at Villa, it would be safe to presume that the mood around the club is positive at the moment, and that fans will be happy with Gerrard’s impact so far and would be delighted to see the manager bring some new players into the squad in January.

Moving forward, with Villa set to take on Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea in the league before the start of the next transfer window, these games in particular will be a good opportunity for Gerrard and the owners at Villa Park to see what areas of the pitch they may need to strengthen if they end up struggling to compete against that trio.

In other news: Gerrard could be heading for his first AVFC disaster over £31.5m-rated “absolute joy” 

Since Marcelo Bielsa took charge at Leeds United, the Argentine has taken the club back to the Premier League after a 16-year absence and got them to a top-half finish in their first season back in the top flight.

One figure that has played a massive part in Leeds’ rise from the Championship to the Premier League is Luke Ayling, who has made a total of 200 appearances for the Yorkshire club across all competitions in which he has managed to score seven goals and provide 17 assists along the way.

Last season saw Ayling start all 38 of Leeds’ Premier League games as well as Stuart Dallas, showing how vital he is for Bielsa’s side.

Having now hit the age of 30 and with his current contract at Elland Road set to expire in the summer of 2023, there’s every chance that the club will be looking at who could be their potential long-term replacement for the long-serving Englishman.

With that in mind, it seems as though Bielsa could already have the perfect long-term heir for Ayling that could save Victor Orta millions in potential future transfer fees.

Since joining Leeds’ U23 side from Fulham’s U23 squad back in August last year, 20-year-old right-back Cody Drameh has made 33 appearances for Leeds’ youth side, scoring one goal and providing four assists along the way.

Drameh has also made two appearances for Leeds’ senior side, showing that Bielsa has enough confidence in him already to perform to a high standard in the first team alongside the senior players at Leeds.

This season has seen Drameh be involved in Leeds’ senior matchday squad on eight occasions in the league with one 19-minute cameo appearance in their 2-1 win away at Norwich City.

Labelled as a “revelation” in the past by Tom Hill and as a player that “loves defending” by Ben Parker, Drameh won Leeds’ U23s Player of the Year award last year, highlighting the quality he has.

Given how Ayling managed to rack up an average of 2.8 tackles per game in the league last season as well as winning 61% of the duels he was involved in, these are the sort of defensive numbers that Drameh will have to match if he wants to be recognised as Ayling’s long-term heir at Leeds.

However, with the praise he’s garnered since joining the Yorkshire club, it seems as though that Drameh is more than capable of doing that in the next few years given his apparent love for defending.

In other news: Exciting 4-word January transfer claim emerges that will have Leeds fans buzzing – opinion

Many Glasgow Rangers fans have been reacting to comments from Alfredo Morelos, who told a Colombian radio station that he dreams of a move to the English Premier League.

Since signing for the Gers in 2017, the 24-year-old has been a revelation. In 174 games in all competitions for the club, he has bagged an impressive 92 goals, while he has also supplied 42 assists despite being a striker (Transfermarkt). His 10 goals in 24 league matches this term have helped the Ibrox outfit to win the Scottish title for the 55th time in their history.

However, he was heavily linked with a move away from the club last summer and has made no secret in the past of his desire to play in a more prestigious league (Goal.com). Now, in an interview with Radio Caracol, Morelos admitted he wants to move to England to play in the Premier League.

The news was shared on Twitter by @A1S93x, and it attracted plenty of attention from Gers supporters. These fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the comments from Morelos below

“It’ll break my heart when he eventually leaves, it’ll be near enough impossible to replace him unless we’re spending 15/20 million on someone.”

Credit: @QBLOYAL

“Shouldn’t be saying that in public, whatever. If he said it.”

Credit: @BluebellsPDCarm

“I’ll be gutted when he goes but that’s football, I just hope we get top dollar for him”

Credit: @DavidWhyte1982

“Hope he does go this summer tbh. This will probably be the best time to sell him to get top dollar for him. Goes with our best wishes. We are a selling club so hopefully it’s just 1 of our big players that leaves.”

Credit: @Fungi128

“If he stays bonus if he goes for a big fee then he should go with the blessing of our whole support. He’s been our talisman for a few years and won us our 55th title. Best striker to play at Ibrox in a long long time.”

Credit: @gav_w_rfc

“Would love him to stay. But with the possibility of reduced capacities at Ibrox. We might need to sell him. Thing is now we are truly seeing just what a rock he is. And he still has time on his side.”

Credit: @kirkwood_brian

In other news, some Rangers fans were worried by this open letter.

Celtic’s Odsonne Edouard has been linked with numerous clubs since the start of the current campaign.

Italian giants AC Milan and Juventus reportedly joined the race for the Frenchman towards the end of 2020, with Arsenal, Aston Villa and Leicester City also keen on the 23-year-old.

Surprise Edouard twist; Celtic stance revealed

Reports earlier this month even claimed that the Foxes were closing in on a £15m deal for the Celtic star, however, Eurosport have now provided an update on the player’s future.

They claim that despite all the rumours, there is actually little concrete interest in Edouard, with an expected tussle for his services not yet materialising. The report name checks Leicester as seeing Edouard as a potential option for their front line in the future, though.

Eurosport also add that Celtic are not looking to sell the striker and won’t be disheartened by the lack of firm interest.

Transfer Tavern take

With interested clubs reportedly not convinced Edouard is worth £20m, the Hoops could be in for an interesting summer.

The forward’s deal will have just 12 months left to run during the summer window, so should he remain at the club and refuse to sign a new deal, Celtic could end up losing the player for nothing in 2022.

There’s plenty of time to go until we get to that stage, but at the minute, it doesn’t appear as if the Hoops will receive a fee above the £20m mark.

In other news: Celtic stalling over deal for in-demand winger due to off-field vacancies, find out more here. 

As per Torino Granata, a possible boost for West Ham United has come to light amid their links to Torino striker and soon-to-be free agent Andrea Belotti.

The Lowdown: Pellegrini fails in 2019 bid…

Multiple reports from 2019 have backed that the Hammers and former boss Manuel Pellegrini lodged a bid to sign the Italy international, but to no avail.

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Football Insider, Calciomercato and TUTTOmercatoWEB all claimed that West Ham made an offer for Belotti nearly three years ago with the striker coming as a name who will be familiar to supporters.

Out of contract this summer, it appears the 28-year-old will finally be on the way out of Turin and for free, gifting David Moyes and co a chance to solve their striker shortage with a long-term target.

The Latest: Belotti open to joining…

Torino Granata, sharing the latest on his future post-Torino, now claim that Belotti is open to joining West Ham this summer.

Indeed, according to their sources, a Premier League move for the forward cannot be ruled out.

It is believed that a move to the Irons or fellow interested side Newcastle ‘could be more attractive’ to Belotti.

The Verdict: Make the move…

An proven threat at both international and club level, bypassing Belotti’s estimated £25.2 million Transfermarkt valuation and snapping him up for nothing would be a very shrewd move.

Torino’s captain and figurehead is one of the Serie A big names set to make a headline-grabbing move this summer and we believe a transfer to West Ham may well be on the cards.

However, with Newcastle, Roma, Atalanta, Inter Milan and Toronto also on his trail, Moyes and co should waste no time making the striker an offer.

In other news: Blow for Moyes: Journalist says ‘underrated’ West Ham ace is now ‘ready to leave’! Find out more here.

According to talkSPORT, West Ham United have made Josh King their top target before Monday’s transfer deadline…

What’s the word?

Ian Abrahams, affectionately known as Broadcast Moose on Twitter, told supporters on Friday morning that the AFC Bournemouth forward was atop David Moyes’ priorities.

He said:

“My sources tell me despite all the talk about foreign strikers, West Ham still have Josh King as top target and moves are afoot to approach Bournemouth. I’m led to believe reports about his huge wage demands are misguided.”

The 27-year-old is thought to be on around £45k-per-week at the Vitality Stadium.

Shades of Di Canio?

While recent links to the likes of Hwang Hee-chan and Patson Daka are hugely exciting and would certainly help bolster potential ambitions of a shock qualification to Europe this season, adding King instead is no mere downgrade.

The 51-time Norway international is vastly experienced in the Premier League having hit at least six goals in five successive top-flight campaigns with his best tally of 16 coming in 2016/17, via Transfermarkt.

But it is his other characteristics that make him an even-more desired addition and you could argue, he’s displayed shades of a Hammers great in Paolo Di Canio too.

The Italian sensation was absolutely one of a kind, but was also known for his versatility across the frontline, his technical ability, creativity, eye for goal and dribbling skills.

King covers a lot of these; as seen above, he’s been a prolific option in the Premier League and just like Di Canio at Sheffield Wednesday, he’s been tried and tested prior to a move to east London.

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In addition to that, only ten other players across the top-flight attempted more dribbles than King (122) last season, as per FBRef. By comparison, Michail Antonio topped the Irons’ charts with 107 attempts. If anything, that shows why King would be a decent fit for Moyes.

The Cherries frontman also attempted more carries into the final third of the pitch, averaging 1.66 times per 90, compared to Antonio’s 1.02 average, also via FBRef.

What makes King technically-gifted is his relentless energy to press the opposition’s backline. Again, only 14 other players across the whole division managed to win possession more times than the Norweigen dynamo (9.4 per 90).

It means his ruthless consistency in front of goal, ball-carrying skills and clinical finishing coupled with his dynamic versatility means West Ham could land the closest thing they’ve had to Di Canio, ever.

When speaking about King to Match of the Day, former Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe dubbed him the “complete package” as he is “outstanding physically, technically and mentally” (via The Football Faithful).

Again, those words are cut from the same cloth as the Hammers legend.

It’s thought that King could be available for just £10m before Monday’s deadline, according to The Athletic’s Wolves reporter Tim Spiers (5th Jan Molineux View), so that would certainly present good value considering Salzburg would want €25m (£22.5m) for Daka.

Getting all the aforementioned attributes for half the price the club sold Sebastian Haller for would be an absolute bargain for Moyes. The Hammers’ hierarchy, namely David Sullivan, needs to get this done in the next few days.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Lingard: Why Hammers need to clinch this prolific machine…

As West Ham United took a hammer dent in their quest to qualify for Europe at the end of the season, drawing 1-1 at Brighton and Hove Albion, many Irons supporters weren’t impressed with the performance of striker Michail Antonio.

David Moyes’ side are now one point behind fifth-placed Liverpool while playing a game more, with the Hammers’ trip to Brighton coming as a crucial match in the race for Europe (BBC).

Indeed, West Ham needed all three points to realistically keep the Champions League dream alive but ended up managing to only just snatch a draw in the last portion of the game.

Seagulls striker Danny Welbeck scored the opening goal six minutes from full time, with Moyes’ men then chasing the game. Luckily, substitute Said Benrahma was on hand to level for the Hammers with a brilliant effort, but the result overall feels more like a missed opportunity.

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Some West Ham fans on social media aimed their displeasure at ineffective forward Antonio in particular, and it’s not hard not to see why judging by his numbers. As per SofaScore, the 31-year-old failed to register a single shot on target and missed a big chance, all while giving the ball away 15 times over the 90 minutes.

Antonio has only just come back from injury but, after a brilliant display at Burnley recently, he couldn’t follow that up at the Amex Stadium.

Here’s how supporters reacted to his “shocking” performance, with one angry fan calling him a “headless chicken”.

West Ham fans blast Antonio

“Yet he persisted with an utterly useless Antonio.”

Credit: @td67coyi

“Going forward West Ham, Bowen and Antonio headless chickens, brain dead variety come on wow get rid”

Credit: @LeeRich43917655

“Antonio’s worst game of the season by my reckoning.”

Credit: @Andyndee

“Antonio is such a donkey, had to come off he was nowhere near it tonight”

Credit: @AAndyhammer92

“I’m sorry, but this has been poor. It was always on the cards. Antonio and Lingard have been shocking.”

Credit: @neil_mccarthy

“Unpopular as this is Antonio has been terrible last two games gives away the ball and his passing is well ! and looks unfit again, Why on the wing Moyes ? We don’t deserve Europe football and Lingard ain’t worth 20 million”

Credit: @Jinglis01492553

“Antonio terrible, didn’t offer enough threat, aside from possibly hitting ground staff in the stands! Cresswell awful, has 1 foot, offers nothing but the occasional assist & video reel pass! Not signing a Striker in January has completely killed our challenge for top 4!”

Credit: @WhufcSloth

“Antonio been bad today”

Credit: @SumCalled

In other news: ‘Surprised’…West Ham fans erupt over this ‘great news’, find out more here.

Leeds must look to land Liverpool star Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain this summer amid Carlton Palmer’s transfer claim.

What’s the story?

The England international has struggled to really make his presence felt at Anfield, with injuries once again taking their toll on him just like they did at former club Arsenal – he has managed just 103 appearances for Jurgen Klopp’s side since joining four years ago.

Palmer has now suggested that the Whites should potentially throw their name into the ring for him, feeling that the £18m-rated man could be the kind of player who could take Marcelo Bielsa’s team to the next level.

Speaking to Football FanCast’s sister site This is Futbol, he said: “Alex could be a good fit for any team. I think he’s a very good player; I think he’s just been unfortunate with injuries. I don’t know why Liverpool would want to sell him – maybe he wants to play more regular football.

“I mean, why not? Leeds have done fantastically well and this is what I’m talking about going to the next level. You know, the likes of Oxlade-Chamberlain could take you to the next level, and it’s a big club as well.”

Bielsa would love him

When signing for Liverpool, Anfield Index Pro podcaster Dan Kennett hailed the midfielder as a “physical monster” with “pace, power and endurance.”

Speaking in October 2019 after Oxlade-Chamberlain’s goalscoring display against Genk in the Champions League, Rio Ferdinand said: “You can tell Klopp loves him and he’s desperate to get him in the team somehow. He offers something totally different to the likes of Milner, Wijnaldum, Fabinho and Henderson. He can dribble past people which is hard for a midfielder. It’s great to see him get back in. I like the way that he gets into those positions.

“Once he gets into those pockets in behind the opposition’s midfield he can dribble and shoot. He’s a fantastic footballer and it’s all about decision making there. He offers something totally different in the midfield for Liverpool.”

That ability to take on players is something that Aaron Ramsey, his former teammate at Arsenal, lauded a couple of years ago when saying: “He’s very explosive and quick off the mark, he can go past players with ease and his final ball in has been very good”.

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Given his versatility, and his ability to bring some power and pace to the middle of the park like Ferdinand says, that makes Oxlade-Chamberlain the kind of player who Bielsa would surely love to add to Leeds’ engine room.

Meanwhile, Leeds United could form a “mouth-watering” attack by signing this star…